TheHotYogaDoctor

Hi everyone.

I was practicing hot yoga (not strictly Bikram, but same temperature) for a little under 3 months, from February to May this year, going 5+ times a week.  Unfortunately I was forced to stop after a blood test showed my sodium levels to be at a point that my doctors considered “dangerously low”.  I’m not sure exactly what the numbers are/were, but I’m going to ask when I see the specialist again this week. 

I always drink a lot of water, at least a few liters a day.  When I was going to hot yoga this went up by a lot.  I truly felt really thirsty and drank more because I thought I was somehow dehydrated and felt like I needed to drink.  And because I started retaining water, I ended up cutting my sodium intake more and more.  Which led to me retaining more water.  What I realize now is that the low sodium level was probably what was causing me to retain the water - but I didn’t know that then. 

My sodium level went back up very quickly.  It was retested a week later and was apparently fairly normal.  It was retested a couple of weeks ago and it still normal.  All my other electrolytes have been completely fine.

However, my doctors are completely against me going back to hot yoga.  I don’t think that they trust that I can keep it in check.  I’ve tried a couple of non-heated classes and they were okay, but I really missed the heat. 

I was just wondering if anyone here could give me some advice…  Can some people just not “handle” the heat?  How much water should one drink/how much sodium should somebody have?  I’ve tried looking this up, but it’s hard to find information that’s not pertaining to people that are not either serious athletes or sedentary.

I should also mention that I do have some issues in regards to disordered eating which is sort of how I really got into this mess (and probably why my doctors don’t trust me).  But I do not see any of my other ‘health issues’ as problematic and going to hot yoga truly helped my mood and my body image.  I don’t think they believe this.  [For the record, I have a low white blood cell count and osteopenia.  I had low Vitamin K and Vitamin D, but those should be normal now].

Any advice would really be appreciated.  I do have problems with my mood, sleep, migraines, and joints… All of which I’ve been told for years would be helped by yoga.  And all of which was helped so much.  I really would love to go back.  Sorry for the long post, and thanks!

Hi Jo

Welcome to the forum! Don’t apologize for the long detailed post! It saves me from asking and you answering lots of questions!

So if you have HAD a past eating disorder it could very much explain the imbalances in your essential minerals and vitamins and would definitely explain low bone mineral density.

Be that as it may, it seems as though you have put that behind you even though your doctors may have not! I would REALLY love you to go and check out this link to some incredible information. In fact, this might be the stuff you have been scouring the net for regarding the right amount of salt and water intake: Great information about vitamins, minerals, commonsense ways to deal with conditions and deficiencies in the body. If you haven’t see Food Matters Movie yet then we actually sell it in our own store. It has the potential to change the way you think about your health, and medical science too! These websites have changed our lives at our house!!!

If you look around at recent threads you will notice I have often recommended getting rid of table salt (it’s poison!) and using natural sea salts (Himalayan, Celtic, Hawaiian and so on). Start to ENJOY using salt knowing it’s contributing to your optimum health. Most people need between 1/2 to 1 whole teaspoon a day (sprinkling on food, adding to cooking or raw food preparation, or even adding some to your water).

There is no reason why a PAST low sodium level would stop you from attending hot yoga classes. Hyponatremia untreated is fatal, make no mistake and does often come from drinking too much water NOT balanced by mineral intake. Go and read what Phillip has to say on his website. He sells very inexpensive booklets on all the different vitamins, minerals and offers information on different ailments for people who are looking for a balanced way of taking their health into their own hands.

Have fun with your discoveries and continue enjoying your yoga

Namaste
Gabrielle